President’s Pakistan state visit takes ties to a new high

Rasika Somarathna

President Mahinda Rajapaksa returned to the country yesterday
following a two day state visit to Pakistan. The President paid a state
visit to Pakistan on the invitation of Pakistani President Asif Ali
Zardari. He had extensive talks with President Zardari during the brief
stay. The President also met Pakistan Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza
Gilani for bilateral discussions.

Both the President and Prime Minister of Pakistan hosted banquets in
honour of President Rajapaksa.

During bilateral discussions President Rajapaksa on behalf of himself
and the people of Sri Lanka expressed his deepest appreciation to the
government of Pakistan for the support rendered to defeat the three
decade long terrorist conflict in Sri Lanka.

Also during discussions held between the leaders, the two countries
reached consensus on ways to further strengthen their bilateral
relations and to promote peace and security in the region and the world.

A joint communique issued in Islamabad Saturday following the talks
between the leaders of the two countries said the talks were held in a
“friendly and cordial atmosphere and were marked by full trust and
complete understanding.”

Following the discussions Sri Lanka and Pakistan signed three
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

President Mahinda Rajapaksa during his stay also visited the
Thakshila Museum in Punjab on Saturday. On the occasion he paid homage
to the Buddha relics, the ancient Buddha statues and the sapling of the
Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi (which was offered to India in 1964 from Sri Lanka)
housed in the museum premises.

On the occasion the people of Punjab conveyed their appreciation to
the President for his prompt action in sending a team of medical
specialist from Sri Lanka to help local authorities in controlling the
dengue epidemic which prevailed in the province recently, the
President’s media said.

In the joint communique both sides expressed their complete
satisfaction on the outcome of the state visit by the Sri Lankan
President to Pakistan and described it as a another milestone in the
joint endeavours of the two countries to take Pakistan-Sri Lanka
relations to new heights.

Meanwhile, an earlier report states... Leaders of Pakistan and Sri
Lanka on Saturday agreed on establishing high level partnerships in
trade, finance and banking, security, tourism, sports, healthcare,
agriculture, education and culture for the mutual benefit of their
people.

These understandings were reached during President Mahinda
Rajapaksa’s state visit to Pakistan from February 10 to 11 on the
invitation of Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari.

In a joint statement, both sides expressed their complete
satisfaction on the outcome of the state visit by President Rajapaksa to
Pakistan.

The statement said that the visit constituted another milestone in
the joint endeavours of the two countries to take Pakistan - Sri Lanka
relations to new heights.

Some of the key agreements included both sides’ commitment to make
special efforts to increase the bilateral trade to over $ 2 billion by
2015, from the current US $ 375 million.

Both sides also agreed to promote financial and banking sector
co-operation including opening of bank branches and trading in local
currencies.

The two countries had also expressed satisfaction on the defence and
security cooperation.

The statement said that the two sides reached broad consensus on ways
and means to further strengthen their bilateral co-operation in a
comprehensive manner and on their common endeavours for promoting peace
and security in the region and the world.

The two countries also signed three MoU’s for Co-operation in the
Field of Media, to promote Tertiary and Vocational Education and on a
credit line up of $ 200 million.

The full text of the joint statement: “On the invitation of President
of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Asif Ali Zardari, the President of
the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, Mahinda Rajapaksa, paid
a state visit to Pakistan from February 10 t0 12 .

President Mahinda Rajapaksa was accorded a warm welcome. He held
talks with President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza
Gilani. Both the President and the Prime Minister of Pakistan hosted
banquets in honour of the visiting Sri Lankan President.

The Sri Lankan President also visited Taxila, which was the first
centre of Buddhist learning and a testimony to Pakistan’s rich Gandhara
heritage.

“The talks between the leaders of Sri Lanka and Pakistan were held in
a friendly and cordial atmosphere and were marked by full trust and
complete understanding. Both sides reached broad consensus on ways and
means to further strengthen their bilateral cooperation in a
comprehensive manner and on their common endeavours for promoting peace
and security in the region and the world.

“Both sides underscored the importance that they attached to the
special bonds of affinity that existed between the two countries, which
were based on their rich historical and cultural interactions as well as
the shared aspirations of their people for peace, progress and
prosperity.

“Both sides attached importance to the Free Trade Agreement between
Pakistan and Sri Lanka and considered this to be a valuable instrument
to optimally utilize their considerable economic potential.

They expressed satisfaction on the work of their Joint Economic
Commission in taking all requisite steps to enhance two-way trade. It
was agreed to make special efforts to increase the bilateral trade to
over $ 2 billion by 2015.

“Both sides also agreed to promote financial and banking sector
cooperation. It was agreed that the governors of their Central Banks
will take all requisite steps to promoting such cooperation, including
the opening of bank branches and trading in local currencies.

“Both sides also agreed to create an enabling environment to
facilitate and to provide incentives to their private sectors to develop
mutually-beneficial project cooperation and joint ventures.

“Both sides also agreed to give further impetus to their cooperation
in the fields of education, science and technology,

healthcare, agriculture, tourism, sporting contacts, cultural
exchanges and people to people contacts. Both sides also agreed to
prioritize cooperation in the field of gems and jewellery.

“The Pakistani side offered training facilities in the field of
banking, information technology, engineering and medical sciences to Sri
Lanka.

“Both sides would also develop institutional links between their
universities and research institutions.

“Both sides expressed satisfaction on the defence and security
cooperation.

“Both sides also agreed to take steps to enhance air and sea
connectivity including joint ventures between their respective shipping
corporations.

“The Prime Minister of Pakistan and the President of Sri Lanka
witnessed the signing of the following agreements/MoUs: MoU for
Cooperation in the Field of Media between the Ministry of Mass Media and
Information of Sri Lanka and the Ministry of Information and
Broadcasting of Pakistan; MoU between Tertiary and Vocational Education
Commission of Sri Lanka and National Vocational and Technical Education
Commission of

Pakistan; MoU between the government of the Islamic Republic of
Pakistan and the government of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri
Lanka on a credit line up to a sum of US$ 200 million.

“Pakistan expressed its gratitude and thanks to the Sri Lankan
government for its valuable assistance in coping and containing the
outbreak of the dengue fever in Pakistan last year.

“Both sides agreed to continue their cooperation in regional and
international foras and to work together to promoting regional
cooperation under the SAARC auspices.

“Both sides expressed their complete satisfaction on the outcome of
the state visit by the Sri Lankan President to Pakistan, which
constituted another milestone in the joint endeavours of the two
countries to take Pakistan - Sri Lanka relations to new heights.”